DIY Decorated Boxes (Part 2 of 2)

On Part One of my DIY Decorated Box guide, I focused on decorating the outside of a box. For this Part Two entry, we’re focusing on the inside—filling the box up with goodies! You can fill your boxes up with whatever you want, depending on what it’s being used for. For today, though, I’ll be looking at different, fun ideas for a bridesmaid proposal.

Get Inspired

Between my love of Disney and my nickname (Princess Allison), finding a theme for my boxes was pretty easy—Disney princesses. I matched each girl to a princess, based on their personality and their preference. This allowed me to make personalized cards for each one based on that Princess. I took a well-known lyric or line from that princess’s movie, and reworded it as a reason for why they are special to me.

For instance, my Maid of Honor’s favorite princess has always been Cinderella. I made her card light blue with an image of Cinderella and “You make my life divine,” which references a lyric from “So This is Love.” On the inside, I tied in more of the Disney theme using a free font I downloaded based on Walt Disney’s handwriting. Personally, I use www.dafont.com—it’s a great website for free non-commercial font downloads of almost anything you can imagine.

You can also tie in the proposal theme into the ceremony itself, when it comes time for that. As a way of personalizing each girl’s bouquet, the stems will be wrapped in the color ribbon that matches their princess.

Find Goodies That Match Your Theme

Determining a good theme that works for you and your girls is the hard part. Going out and getting the goodies to fill it is the fun part! Here are the items I have in my boxes.

Plastic Tiara. I picked up these plastic tiaras at Party City, conveniently in a pack of six. Sure, they’re meant for kids, but what princess doesn’t love a tiara? They come as little combs girls can put in their hair. 

Princess Jelly Beans. I found these awesome jelly beans on Amazon themed to Disney princesses. I wanted to include some candy for the girls to munch on that still fit the theme, and these came in whatever quantity you need for a great price.

Ring Pops. Speaking of candy, I picked up some Ring Pops when I was at Party City. After all, it is a proposal, and what’s a proposal with a giant ring? The bag came with ten when I only needed six, so  yours truly may have eaten the extras...

Party Poppers. This was one that I found for cheap at Party City. There those things where you pull 

the string, and a punch of confetti pops out of it. I thought it would be a fun way to celebrate our friendship.

Pixie Dust. I actually just got these in today! I found a seller that has little tiny bottles of glitter "pixie dust," and they happened to come in six colors that perfectly fit my six princesses. It’s the one little gift that can’t really be used, but it’s just a little prop that goes along with the Disney theme. Pixie dust is all about making your dreams come true!

Stress Relief Hand Sanitizer. While not exactly princess themed, these little bottles are a great, useful, inexpensive gift to include. Bath and Body Works always has these on sale, and I got theme for a dollar each. Stress Relief is one of my favorite ever scents, and it will help them out if I ever happen to become a Bridezilla. I’m going to add small tags to bottles explaining this, as well.

Disney Pins. These are the most expensive parts of the gift. Steven and I love Disney pin trading, and we will likely be incorporating it into the wedding somehow. Each girl gets a pin specific to their own princess. Disney pins can be very elaborate and beautiful, like this one of Belle themed to a painted, framed portrait.

Personalized Card. Of course, on top I’m putting the customized card with their princess quote, and the official, “Will you be my bridesmaid?” question. There were designing in Photoshop, printed out, and adhered to blank cards I picked up at Michael’s. Each envelope addresses the bridesmaid as Princess to continue that theme, and make them feel like the princess they are to me.

No matter what your theme, you can find fun ways to fill up your decorated box. Think outside the box a little (pun somewhat intended), be creative, and you’ll find plenty of options that fit your personality and work for all your girls. Maybe a simple necklace with their birthstone, a framed photo of the two of you, a small flower that you made out of something meaningful to you. There are so many possibilities!

Fill It Up!

Now that you have all this great stuff, load it up in the box! Depending on the size of the box, you might have a lot of extra space still. It’s just another opportunity to add to the experience! For my boxes, I used some paper crinkle that I picked up at Michael’s for a few dollars. A big bag filled all six boxes pretty well.

Some other options might be to fill it with wrapped candy in the colors of your wedding, fake flower petals, or some craft rocks. Just make sure if it’s something heavier that the box you got can still support everything.

I’ll have to do another update when I give these boxes to my girls and post their reactions! We’re also working on something smaller and nerdier for my fiancé to ask his groomsmen (think Pokemon related).

How did you propose to your bridal party? Was it simple, or something unique and elaborate? Leave a message in the comments! 

DIY Decorated Boxes (Part 1 of 2)

When I was thinking about who in my life I would choose to be my bridesmaids, I already knew I wanted to ask them in a creative way. I can probably blame my sister for that. When she asked me to be a bridesmaid, it was with a giant plastic diamond ring in a cute little box. As it turns out, fun bridesmaid proposals are actually a pretty common thing.

Of course, not everyone sees this. I mentioned my proposal project on Facebook, and one of my friends said, “Why can’t you just ask them?” My short answer for that is, that’s too easy. I love a challenge. These girls are going to be putting up with my crazy planning for the next year and a half, so I want to do something special for them in return.

I came up with an idea to decorate plain white boxes, one for each girl, and fill it with little goodies that go along with asking them to be a bridesmaid. There will be more on that in Part 2 of this post—today I’m just showing the actual decorating of the box.

I got 6-inch by 6-inch white craft boxes from Michael’s for a couple dollars each, which was great considering I had to buy six of them! Today, I spent time decorating the lid, and personalizing each box for a different girl. Time to walk you through that process!

Materials Needed: blank white box (any size), two sheets of 12-inch by 12-inch scrapbook paper (any design of your choosing, but make sure it’s normal paper thickness, tape, scissors, X-acto knife, and spray adhesive. Also, a computer and printer to create the name outline.

Decorating the Lid

I had actually made a video of this originally, but in all honestly I'm battling a cold right now and difficult to understand, so I'll just be posting screencaps from the video. Let's begin! 

Step 1: Put a small, rolled piece of tape on the center on the box, and stick it to the underside of the scrapbook paper. On two sides, leave enough paper so that when you fold it over the lid, there’s a little extra that can be folded over on the inside.

Step 1.

Excess paper on the edge.

Step 2: Trim the other two sides of the paper so that it’s about the same on all sides.

Step 2.

Step 3: Flip the lid over, and crease the paper along the edges. This just helps to keep the paper flat once you start folding it more.

Step 3.

Step 4: Take one edge, and fold the paper over the lip and onto the inside of the lid. Don’t tape it just yet, though.

Step 4.

Step 5: Fold the paper over the left edge of the lid in front of you so that the paper is creased to an angle.

Step 5.

Step 6: Fold the extra paper at the top over the edge. There may be some extra paper in the inside corner, which you can just push into place.

Step 6.

Step 7: Repeat steps 5 and 6 for the right-hand side.

Step 7.

Step 8: Tape down all three edges on the inside.

Step 8.

Step 9: Repeat steps 4 through 7 on the opposite side of the lid. You now have two opposite sides complete, and two opposite sides with a trapezoid shape of excess paper.

Trapezoid shapes after Step 9.

Step 10: Fold each of these two sides over the lip, and tape on the inside.

Step 10.

When you’re done, it should kind of like a wrapped present! This one worked out oddly well in that the lines still all line up on the side. If you used normal weight paper, the lid should still fit on the box snugly, but with no issues. That’s it!

The final product! 

Personalizing the Box

Step 1: Trim the second sheet of scrapbook paper to the size of a letter sheet of paper, 8.5-inch by 11-inch. This allows you to use the designed paper in a printer.

Step 2: Use any word processing program (personally I used InDesign) to write the name and make an outline. Use any font that you want, but keep in mind, the fancier the font is, the more difficult it will be to cut it out later on. Make sure that the printed size will fit on the edge on the box’s surface. For mine, as it was a 6-inch square, I made the name about 5 inches wide.

Step 3: Print the outline onto the trimmed scrapbook paper. If it’s a busy design, you might want to pay attention to where the words print on the page, because you want to be able to see the edges of the letters.

Printed letters on the scrapbook paper.

Step 4: Using an X-acto knife, very carefully cut along the outlines of the letters. Make sure you have a cutting board or thick paper underneath so you don’t cut into whatever you’re bearing down on.

The result!

Step 5: Spray the back of each letter with some spray adhesive, like the one I have pictured here. Don’t use too much, because it can get very messy, very fast! (As I experience while making this how-to guide.)

My preference for spray adhesive, which I think I found at Walmart. 

Step 6: Place each letter onto the box before the adhesive sets. I start with the last letter against the bottom right hand corner, and go backwards through the letters to make sure the spacing fits right. Make sure you let the glue fully set before putting anything into the box, you they don't move around unintentionally. 

Glued down letters.

This time around, my letters turned out a little messy (you can see some of the glue around the Y), but I think it still looks okay. I’m pretty sure Karyn, my Maid of Honor, is going to love it!

Completed box with lid and name! 

So there you have it! A simple way to personalize boxes for anyone. But what do you fill it with? Well, anything you want! I go through what I’m including in my bridesmaid proposal boxes in Part Two of this DIY series!

Dress Shopping Tips

I recently went wedding dress shopping for the first time—and lo and behold, I ended up buying a dress in the same visit! My only ideas for what to expect going into it were based on multiple episodes of Say Yes to the Dress, which isn’t saying much. 

A lot of websites offer their own dressing shopping tips, like The Knot and Martha Stewart Weddings. However, nothing compares to actually trying on dresses for the first time. I learned a lot from the experience, and I’m happy to share my lessons learned with other brides about to embark on the same journey—with pictures from my own trip!

#1: Go in with a plan…

Have an idea beforehand of some things you want might want to try on. They might not have them all in stock, or your size, but at least it can give your consultant an idea of some things to pull for you. In my case, I had two “top choice” dresses and about six others that I liked the style of. (Being the super organized person that I am, I had a printout of all the dresses with their model numbers and current prices all in one glance.) Of those two top dresses, she was able to pull one right away, and was able to say, “Sorry, we don’t have that one anymore” to the second. I was happy with one out of two! She learned quickly that I liked tea length dresses, and pulled a few of those, along with some others that fit the styles of the other dresses I liked.

My ideas sheet. It ended up being a great tool for the consultant!

#2: …But be open-minded.

There will be dresses that you think you’ll love, but they don’t quite fit your figure. Or, there may be dresses you don’t like parts of that end up being very flattering on your body. You never know what could happen! I went in with no intention to wear lace. I tried on a short, lace dress that my consultant pulled that ended up being very flattering and cute. I ended up walking around the store for a while in it as I looked for more dresses!

The lace dress. Not my style at all, but very comfortable!

#3: Limit who you bring with you.

I promised my dad when I got engaged that he could join me on my first dress shopping trip. He and I are very close, so I was ecstatic when he said he could make it to the appointment I booked! Along with my dad, I brought my best friend and Maid of Honor, Karyn, and my future mother-in-law. Three people—that’s all.

On the shows, you often see brides bringing all of their bridesmaids, their mom, sister, mother-in-law, cousin, and a long lost neighbor from 20 years ago for good measure. While it’s great to have all that support, it will also result in a lot of conflicting opinions. The dress should be about what YOU love and what makes YOU feel beautiful—not anyone else.

My experience would not have been the same without my dad there with me.

#3a: Make sure you’re close with at least one of them—and I mean really close.

This is more of an addendum to #3, and one I didn’t even think about going into it. Karyn was the one in the dressing room with me every time, helping me to get dresses on while not drowning in a train of fabric. (It’s also worth noting she’s a good four inches shorter than me, at least. Her trying to get the dresses over my head was an interesting challenge.) She saw me in a lot of undergarments, and help me put on and take off corsets with zero experience doing so. It was a great testament to our friendship, and I was incredibly thankful she was there with me. Plus, we took some silly selfies along the way!

We love being silly together, which is why she's my Maid of Honor!

#4: Know your budget—and stick to it.

If you try on a dress that’s out of your price range, Murphy’s Law will probably kick in and it will be the best dress ever. But how do you pay for it if it’s out of your budget? This is the one rule I sort of didn’t follow—I didn’t exactly know my budget going into it. My dad gave me a number out of the blue, then a few minutes later, made that number a little higher. The dress I ended up getting was right on this higher threshold. There were plenty of other gorgeous dresses I saw that were way out of that budget, and I had to force myself to keep looking. Don’t risk trying something on that you would have to go into debt to afford, not matter how stunning it is!

This little piece of paper is critical to pay attention to during your trip. It could make or break a dress choice.

#5: Be prepared for a little chaos.

We went on a very busy Sunday morning, and there were brides everywhere. My consultant was helping out a few other girls at the same time. She explained how the store was laid out to us, and we were sent into the racks to pull whatever dresses we wanted. We had no idea what we were doing! We pulled a few things here and there, but generally were pretty lost. Not to mention, what dresses look like on the rack are hard to compare to how they will look on a bride. I ended up finding my dress on a random clearance wall, because the fabric and embellishments stood out to me. It was also not even the size that I was told to look for, and it still fit me like a glove!

Chaos for me included navigating very large trains--and not always successfully.

#6: You might not know it’s your dress immediately—and that’s okay.

A lot of brides have that “Aha!” moment where they burst into tears, knowing it’s the dress. But, not every bride feels that—and it’s totally normal! I thought I would be in the former category, but I actually wasn’t. My dress was the third dress I tried on, and I just thought, “Wow, this is nice, I really like it.” Then I went on to trying more.

How did I know it was the one? Every dress I tried on after, I kept thinking back to that dress. We would go back into the dressing room, and every time, I would glance at the dress and think to myself, “I really want to put that one on again.” Eventually I did, and decided that was the one. Everyone we texted pictures to voted for that dress before I even made the decision myself. It was beautiful, in my budget, and very comfortable. It was the dress that felt the most “me,” and that’s the most important thing.

Not to mention, when I rang the bell and said my official “yes,” that was when I started crying. Everyone else with me immediately followed suit.

Saying "Yes" to a dress made me a bit emotional! 

#7: Remember to have fun!

Yes, dress shopping can be stressful. It’s a big chunk of money being spent on a large piece of styled, embellished fabric. But, if you remember to smile, and enjoy the experience, you’ll have no problem finding yourself a dress to get married in.

I couldn't stop spinning in this dress, and it made for a lot of fun times, even if I didn't get the dress.

Bonus Video: Capturing the moment!

My dad filmed me as I was ringing the bell and giving my final answer. It was a great moment to celebrate a wonderful occasion! Plus, I love looking back on it and seeing just how the dress flowed when I moved in it. Always a plus!

Welcome to my new blog!

About This Blog

Hello readers! This blog was created for my IDC 6010 – Writing Across Media graduate course. This is a multimodal blog, meaning there will be a lot of elements involved aside from just text. Expect lots of pictures, videos, and more to be included!

My first step in this crazy journey
known as planning a wedding! 

I decided to focus my blog on my DIY (Do It Yourself) Wedding. I am both creative and poor. As such, when I started planning my wedding, I decided to incorporate a lot of DIY elements to try to limit costs and expand my creative abilities. Let’s face it, weddings are stupidly expensive. When you attach the word “wedding” to something, the price immediately goes up exponentially. When done right, DIY elements can be very cost effective. However, you have to plan for some screw-ups along the way to cost you even more money in the long run! DIY can be great, as long as you don't bite off more than you can chew.

In addition to just DIY elements, I want to provide other brides-to-be with information on how my overall wedding planning is going. Maybe they are just starting the entire process, much like me, and just want to know that they’re not along in their experiences. No bride is ever alone! We’re all going through the same stresses and trials in the planning process. I am here to provide support and advice to any other lady (or man!) out there who may need it.

About Allison

Steven and I celebrating my birthday
at Disney in March of 2014!

So who’s the person behind this blog? My name is Allison Feldman, and I’m a 25-year-old bride-to-be living outside Atlanta, Georgia. I’m a graduate student expecting to finish my degree of Information Design and Communication in May of 2016.

I have a love of creativity, writing, color, and Disney. Yes, the love of Disney is that big. My money and free time just seem to disappear at the mere mention of the word Disney. I whole-heartedly believe that anything is possible, and that writing is a window to one’s true dreams.

My adorable fiancé deserves a mention, as well, since this blog is all about eventually marrying the guy. His name is Steven, and he’s finishing up his Bachelor’s in Communication this July! His degree has been a long time coming, so we’re both ready for him to graduate. Interestingly, neither of us started out in Communications, but it’s where we both ended up. Funny how things work out that way.

About the Wedding

We are still very early in the planning stages, and honestly, we don’t even have a definitive date set yet. This was a big engagement gripe of mine—even when we were only engaged for a few hours, we had people asking if we had a date yet. I hadn't even updated my Facebook status yet, much less have time to figure out a date! We do have a tentative date—June 4, 2016—but this is all dependent on our choice of venue and so many other factors. However, a long engagement means lots of time to make things myself! (Well, myself and with the help of my bridesmaids who I’m sure love me very dearly.)

While this is not the dress I chose,
I had too much fun spinning in it.

The one major thing I have checked off the list is that I bought my dress! I wasn’t planning to this early, but one thing led to another, and suddenly I was ringing a bell and saying yes to a dress. One of my blog posts will be based on this experience. We have a few minor things determined as well, like our possible guest list and our honeymoon destination, but none of it is really set in stone just yet. Aside from that, I’m just sort of doing things as I go!

Steven and I have a huge love of Disney, and we plan to incorporate that into our wedding, very subtly, and probably much to my dad’s dismay. I intend to make my bouquet out of Disney park maps—there will also be a post on this in the coming days! My bridesmaid proposals are Disney princess themed, we want Disney references on the cake, and we may involve our love of pin trading as well. It’s an obsession for us, but it’s a big part of how we fell in love, and want to share that with everyone.

Speaking of our love of Disney, Steven proposed to me at the Animal Kingdom Lodge at Disney World in Orlando. He sent me on a scavenger hunt through the resort, with each clue leading to a family member holding a rose, and ending with him by the flamingos holding my favorite flower. (By the way, the best things about the resort? It’s basically a zoo as well! Lots of rooms overlook a savanna with giraffes and zebras.) It was perfectly done at my favorite on-site resort, and had just enough hints of Disney! While I intend to make a full video of his elaborate proposal one day, here’s a clip from the actual proposal! Even though I was expecting it, I may have been a tad nervous and had a slight death grip on my flowers! :)

About Time to Wrap This Up...

So, that’s all for this introductory post! You’re more than welcome to leave me any comments, thoughts, sage wedding planning advice, you name it! Until next time...

-Allison

May as well sneak one more Disney picture in!